When Jack Nicklaus was 14, the Golden Cub was more concerned about his next date than how he
would play at the Masters.

Times change.

Two weeks ago, 14-year-old Guan Tianlang not only played in the Masters but made the cut. The
eighth-grader from China drove it beautifully on the course, even though he was not allowed to
drive
to the course. He never three-putted. His worst score was bogey. Today, the teen amateur
tees it up at the PGA Tour event in New Orleans.

“Such a mature young man,” Nicklaus said yesterday, speaking at the Legends Luncheon, a
fundraiser at Ohio State sponsored by Nationwide Insurance that benefits patients at Nationwide
Children’s Hospital.

Guan and his parents, meanwhile, consider Nicklaus to be a mature older man, which is why they
sought out the six-time Masters winner a day before the major championship began on April. 4.

The conversation went something like this: Parents, your child is wonderful, but he’s still just
a child. Let him finish high school — or at least eighth grade — before fast-forwarding him into
adulthood.

This is what Nicklaus, 73, does now at the few golf tournaments he attends, like the Masters and
his own Memorial Tournament. He pours into younger people, offering advice when asked and imparting
wisdom collected during 63 years of playing the game.

Advice No. 1: Golf
is a game. That does not mean it is mindless folly, but it must be kept in proper
perspective.

Nicklaus provides that perspective.

“I’d love to see him play in the Memorial,” Nicklaus said of Guan, who would need a sponsor’s
exemption to participate in the tournament from May 29 to June 2 at Muirfield Village Golf Club. “
But I’d love to see him finish up eighth grade, too.”

Nicklaus is under no obligation to offer assistance to younger generations. He simply chooses to
give back to the game that has given so much to him and his family.

“I get a lot of kids who every once in awhile want to sit down and talk to me about different
things,” he said. “Keegan (Bradley) came to me not long ago. They just want to get my perspective
on what I do, and see if it puts something in their head to help them. I’m very flattered by it.”&
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In a sense, Nicklaus is simply following the footsteps of previous golfing greats who reached
out to young golfers whose heads were filled with dreamy fluff more than practical matter.

Nicklaus was only 23 when he won his first Masters, after which the Upper Arlington native was
summoned by Masters co-founder Bobby Jones, whose record of 13 major championships Nicklaus would
eclipse.

“Jones asked me to come down to his cabin (at Augusta National) every year and I absolutely took
him up on his invitation,” Nicklaus said, citing an example of the young gleaning wisdom from the
more mature.

“(Ben) Hogan asked me to play practice rounds with him and I took him up on that. Even Arnold
(Palmer), who was only 10 years older than me … I learned a lot from Arnold,” Nicklaus said. “A lot
of guys take you under their wing when you’re a young kid.”

What is especially exemplary about Jack’s connections with young golfers is how he blends just
the right mix of truth and grace. Nicklaus often expresses strong views on topics, but he seldom
judges people. He would rather be a lawyer laying out his case than the jury deciding it.

As evidence, I submit Jack’s summary opinion on the general state of kids today. Rather than
ridicule, the Bear aims for common ground and finds the common good.

“They’re no different than kids who came along 20 years ago or 40 years ago,” he said. “They’re
just kids. I enjoy being around them.”